Minnesota Timberwolves star power forward Kevin Love isn't quite happy with his team. Love expressed disinterest with Minnesota after they lost to the Phoenix Suns, yelling at them after the game.Right now, the T-Wolves are ranked 10th in the Western Conference, two spots behind to for a playoff spot this season. At this point, with a team filled with good role players and budding stars like Ricky Rubio, it's hard to see how this squad is underachieving year after year.
This is finally a year where Love and Rubio could create havoc together as a duo since they're both healthy together, but the Timberwolves as a whole continue to struggle. With Love continuing to lose patience with his team and a year left on his contract next season, is he done in Minny?
As one Eastern Conference executive tells Ken Berger of CBS Sports, that is likely the case.
“They should trade him,” he said. “No one thinks he's staying. Everyone knows he wants to go to the Lakers.”
Love played at UCLA for one season in college, so it could be the reason for his interest in donning the purple and gold.
Heading to the Lakers is possible, but it likely has to be under a trade. The Lakers simply won't have enough salary cap space this offseason to give Love a max deal, and would have to wait until he becomes a free agent in 2015 more than likely.
But a trade could definitely work. There have been rumors in the past of Pau Gasol heading to the Minny. He and Ricky Rubio were both teammates in Spain, and the Lakers big man still has a lot left in the tank.
As for Love, he could be the next great big man for Kobe Bryant. He could be the guy to help the Black Mamba finally get the sixth ring of his NBA career. Currently, Love is putting up legit Shaq numbers, and wasting all of his talent in Minnesota isn't going to help him one bit for his career if his team continues to struggle.
Minnesota signed Love to a four-year extension a few years ago, which caused a lot of heads to turn. Now the Timberwolves are probably regretting their decision, as Love is more than likely to walk in the 2015 offseason.
Right now, this situation bodes well for Los Angeles. There's a chance they can make a Big 3 around Kobe happen for his final two years in the NBA. It's slim, but they can be able to add Carmelo Anthony in 2014 and bring in Love in 2015.
As for right now, the Timberwolves just need to worry about winning. It's their only chance of keeping Love, otherwise they have until 2015 to trade him and at least get something back in return.
